Sense of a Hummingbird by Robert Nieder

Sense of a Hummingbird by Robert Nieder

Billie Barrett is a shrimper out of Edgewater, Florida. He grew up on the docks, going from boat to boat, helping out wherever he could. He grew up tough, and he grew up mean. Billie didn’t trust many people, and he liked even fewer. He was a racist and a bigot in the truest sense and he was proud of it. The only thing Billie cared about more than himself (and his drugs) was his boat Ol’ Sally. When he and Perry, his deckhand and friend, went out for Rock Shrimp one day in November, Billie had no idea that everything he thought he knew would disappear. Bridgette Kamau is proud of her Gullah heritage. Every chance she gets, she comes home from school and gives her time to her community. As a student at the University of South Carolina she is on track to become the lawyer she has always wanted to be, so she can help the people of her island. But after her mother breaks her leg Bridgette decides to take some time to come back to St. Helena’s Island to help nurse her back to health. Little does she know that that decision will put her on a collision course with a man full of hatred and rage. And, somehow, she must be the one to save him.

Sense of a Hummingbird by Robert H. Nieder is a good book. The characters are well developed and you find yourself drawn into the story. You keep reading because you want to know what happens and where everything is going to lead. The writing, however, does make the book hard to read. The descriptions Nieder uses help to make the book come to life, but they also sometimes distract you from the story. There are also times where the story becomes a little muddled, but if you can get through it all I really think you will enjoy the book. Overall the story is interesting, and the characters are fully developed and engaging. Although at times there are tough parts to get through, if you push on through the narrative, you will be glad you did in the end.